Washing machine



Mar. 6, 1928. 1,447,760.

' B. P. CHURCHILL ET AL.

WASHING MACHINE.

FILED DEC. a. 19.21.

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Patented Mar. i923.

,nire ss 31,447,7t@ @TENT @FFHQE BENN P. CHURCHILL AND WILLIAM J'. CHURCHILL, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

WASHING MACHINE.

Application led December 8, 1921.

T 0 all wiz om 'it may concern Be it known that we, BENN P. CHURCHILL and VILLIAM J. CHURCHILL, both citizens of the United States, and residents of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of lVisconsin, have invented cert-ain new and useful-Improvements in /Vashing Machines; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

Our invention refers to washing machines of that general type disclosed in an application for patent filed by us Oct. 4th, 1920, Serial No. 414493.

The priinary object of our invention is to provide a compact, simple, durable and eficient washing machine, the construction and arrangement of which is such that it can be manufactured at a normal cost and thereby disposed of-to the trade in large quantities, meeting a condition wherein it is possible for people in moderate circumstances to afford a mechanical washer.

Other objects of our invention are to provide a compact washing machine wherein all of the working parts are concealed and protected without the use of special guards etc., whereby the machine, as a whole, will present a nea-t appearance and is not liab-le to cause injury to persons working about it.

To providea machine wherein the lid' or cover carries no working parts, whereby it can be utilized as a table or other piece of furniture in connection with the tub when wringing units, whereby the peculiar action,

imparted to the same will produce eiicient results. j

To provide a machine having standard fittings in connection with its spindle, whereby leakage is avoided.

To provide a simple driving mechanism for the spindle, the same being in the forni of an inexpensive belt and pulley in direct connection with a motor.

To provide an assemblage of driving HSSUE@ Serial No. 520,798.

mechanism between the legs of the tub, whereby the same constitutes protecting shields for said driving mechanism.

\ To provide a simple skeleton agitator adapted to be coupled to the drive spindle, the agitator having depending fingers which impart a series of gyrating washing and scrubbing movements to the clothing, whereby the same is gently cleansed without lia bility of damage by rough usage, usually resulting in laundry work subjected to power driven machines.

To provide a centrifugal wringer basket having a coupling connection which can be readily fitted to the crank spindle, whereby a rotatory motion is imparted to the basket vfor extracting the water from the clothing by centrifugal action.

To provide an agitator composed of wood, having fingers mounted upon radial arms, the spokes of the agitator being locked together vby a metallic bushing mechanism forming a hub connection for the reception of the cranked end of the driving spindle.

To provide companion indicator marks in connection with the crank spindle and hub of the centrifugal wringer basket, whereb the basket can readily be coupled to the spindle in its correctv clutched position.

lVith the above and other objects in view, our invention consists in certain peculiarities of construction and combination of parts as are hereinafter set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings and subsequently claimed.

In the drawings,

Figure l represents a sectional elevation of a washing machine embodying the features of our invention.

Figure 2, a fragmentary view of the same, partly in section, showing a centrifugal wringer basket attachment in connection with the driving spindle.

Figure 3, a plan view of a skeleton agitator.

Figure 4, a fragmentary bottom plan view of the wringer basket hearing.

Figure 5, an enlarged detailed View, partly in section, of the agitator hub.

Figure 6, an enlarged detailed sectional elevation showing means for attaching a l motor to the leg of the tub.

Figure 7, an enlarged detailed sectional y Figure S, an enlarged detailed top plan,

View showing the cupping connection between -the wringer basket hub and splndle.

Referring by characters to the drawings, 1 represents a standard tub, the bottom 2 of which is provided with a drain nipple 3, the

over a retaining screw 6 and thel other aperture over a lug 8, which extends from the juxtaposed face of the strap 8. The motor 9 is thus rigidly but detachably secured to the leg of the tub by a single thumb screw 7.

disposed Hence the assemblage can readily be effected and a standard motor canbe utilized having its shaft provided with a vertically pulley 9 for direct" drive connections.

Itis understood that the ,bottom and side walls of the tub may be corrugated in any suitable manner tolfacilitate washing, the corrugations being not shown as they form no part of my invention.

The center ofthe tub bottom is apertured for the reception of the screw threaded end of a sleeve 10, the said sleeve being provided with a shoulder 10 that is fitted snugly against the upper surface of the tub bottom.

The sleeve is firmly fitted in its horizontal l position and the joint between it and the bottom is sealed by a binding nut 11, which nut is in threaded union with the end of said sleeve. The sleeve or housing 10 is provided for the reception of a spindle 12, the lower end of which extends therethrough for the reception of a spoke driving pulley 13. The driving pulley 13 is, for cheapness in construction, built up from wood spokes 14 having an inner metallic band 15 secured to their ends, which band, in turn, has soldered thereon a belt-receiving metallic ring 15. Hence the belt receiving ring is reinforced and the pulley, as a whole, is cheaply constructed and light.

The spokes 14 of the pulley are in mitered connection at their central intersection, at

which point they are apertured for the reception of the threaded end 12 of the spin dle 12. The spokes and pulley, as a whole, are held in rotative relation with the spindle by upper and lower clampin nuts 16-16 respectively, there being suitable washers interposed between the upper clamping nut and the face of the associated sleeve 10 to limit longitudinal play of the spindle. y

The upper end of the spindle 12 projects through the sleeve 10, and in order to effect a water tight joint at this point, a suitable stuffing box 17 is provided,the same being in threaded union with the end of the sleeve. The power driven spindle12 has rigidly secured thereto, at its upper end,y a disk 18 from which extends a crank pin 18', as shown in Figure 1. When the machine is equipped for washing, the crank'pin 18 has loosely mounted thereon, a skeleton agitator A. The agitator is constructed from cross connected wood spokes 19, which spokes are centrally apertured for the reception of the screw threaded end of a thimble 20, the said thimble being clamped tothe spokes by upper and lower nuts 21, whereby the spokes of the agitator are secured together and a metallic hub is formed, which hub is, as shown, detachably mounted upon the crank pin 18, to thereby produce a metal to metal Contact between the drive and driven elements, it being understood that the lower clamping nut 21 also forms a thrust bearing.

F rom the foregoing description it is maniinto position, as shown in Figure 1, and al series of rounded fingers 22, depending from the spokes of the agitator, will engage and gently press upon the clothing at various points. Hence the ,agita-tor is capable of horizontal play or what might be termed, a floating action with relation to its wrist pin connection 18.

Then motion is imparted to the spindle 12, through the belt drive connection to the motor, the agitator will describe a wabble action, due to the eccentric driving connection with the spindle. Hence the fingers 22 will describe a series of independent rotary gyrations, imparting thereto a multiple series of scrubbing actions upon the surface of the clot-hing, giving thereto a massaging gentle movement, while at the same time, the continued action imparted to the agitator, as a whole, will cause it to move in a rotatory direction, whereby the clothing will be constantly shifted with relation tol its position n in the tub.

After the clothing has been thoroughly i washed and rinsed by the action of the scrubbing agitator, the lid B is removed t0- gether with said agitator and, as best shown in Figure 2, a wringing 0r drying basket C is substituted for said agitator. This basket hub is eccentric with relation to the center of the basket. The lower face of the basket bottom has secured thereto a plate 24, which plate has extending therefrom a pair of coupling pins 25 that are arranged equidistant from the hub aperture. Hence when it is desired to it the basket to the driving spindle of the tub, the operator adjusts the hub 23 of the basket to the crank pin 18. and

in so doing, the basket is rotated about the i pin in such position that an indicator mark upon the end of the crank pin 18 will register with a corresponding indicator mark upon the end plate of the hub 23. WVhen this registration is effected, the pins 25 are positioned to straddle the wrist pin disk 18, whereby the basket is locked against rotation upon the crank pin 18.

After the clothing, which has been previously washed, is dropped into the basket, motion being imparted thereto will cause said basket to revolve at a high speed, through its directconnection to the spindle and in its rotations, the basket will develop a centrifugal force, whereby the clothing is caused to shift outwardly against the walls of said basket. This action of the clothing will effectually extract all water therefrom. The dried clothes can then be removed and ironed if desired.

Attention is also directed to the fact that the cover B of the tub is formed from a single piece of metal, having a downturned annular lip 26 and a circular bead 26', which bead effects a nested seat with relation to EEZ the inner edge of the tub mouth, whereby a comparatively tight joint is effected and the downturned lip 26 serves as a protection and it also presents a sightly appearance, whereby it will present a neat appearance when not in use. The removable metallic top can thus' be used for a seat, table or other purposes incidental to household conveniences.

While we have shown and described a simple exemplication ot' our invention minutely as to detail, it is understood that we may vary the details of construction, within the scope of the claim, as it may be hereafter interpreted by the skilled mechanic.

, We claim:

A washing machine comprising a leg supported tub, a sleeve extending upwardly through the bottom of the tub` a spindle mounted in the sleeve, a belt drive mechanism for the spindle` the same 4,being positioned under the tub bottom and located within the leg portions thereof` whereby the driving mechanism is protected, a crank pin extending upwardly from the spindle and an agitator detachably mounted upon the crank pin, the agitator including a series of depending fingers.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing we have hereunto set our hands at Milwaukee, in the count-y of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin.

BENN P. CHURCHILL. WILLIAM J. CHURCHILL. 

